Competition or Lack Thereof
by Evil-Irish-Wolf
Summary: Riley is jealous and sorrowful, Ben is unusually dense, and Abigail is confused. SLASH! Ben/Riley!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own this and I never will, which means I'm stuck writing crappy slash fics at 3 in the morning.

**Warning: **Slash! Hells yeah!

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**Competition or Lack Thereof**

**By: EIW**

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Riley hated blondes.

He especially hated blondes that had funny accents and know-it-all tendencies.

Her sleek blond hair was perfectly groomed and styled. She accessorized it with glittery barrettes and colorful clips. Just normal little things that catch a man's eye and make him look twice. They could be running across mountain tops or racing threw the streets of London in a stolen car and the woman's hair was still perfectly placed, unlike Riley, whose hair was in a perpetual state of disarray. His curly average brown hair was constantly flopping about. He never looked put-together, even when he made the effort. Riley thought his hair made him look frumpy and lazy compared to Abigail.

Come to think of it, Riley hated her voice too.

Abigail's voice was soothing and soft. The look that Ben often got on his face when she was recalling some ridiculously obscure event in history made Riley cringe with bitterness. Ben's eyes would cloud over and his lips would stretch into a grin of awe. His eyes would sparkle; literally _sparkle_, with unspoken adoration. Ben never looked like that when Riley spoke to him. Most of the time, Ben wouldn't even look at him when he said anything. Ben was often too busy checking something on the map or looking over a clue to actually acknowledge that Riley was even existing let alone speaking.

But not when that sassy little tart said anything, oh _no_, it was always 'Oh yes _Abigail_, I totally agree' or 'that's genius, _Abigail_. Should we make beautifully smart babies now or later?' 'We're so perfect together, _Abigail_. Maybe we should have a Riley whip up a contraption that would allow us to read each other's thoughts so that we'd never have to speak out loud and pretend to include Riley in any discussion every again!'

So maybe he was getting a little ahead of himself, but honestly, Riley was sick of it. It's not like he contributed anything to this "team." He could work a computer, but a robot could do that just as well or even better than him.

The bottom line was that he, Riley Poole, was expendable.

That thought hurt beyond anything else ever could. To think that he wasn't needed.

He had no claim on Ben or anything that made him remotely necessary. That was another thing that he hated about Abigail, she had this pull that over Ben. It was like and invisible grip on his heart. Which made sure that anywhere they went, Ben talked about her constantly. Ben's voice held pure love and affection. So much so that it was obvious to anyone that he was in love. When Ben spoke about him it wasn't with any tone in particular, it was just a man talking about his best friend. There was a hint of affection in it, but Riley was his best friend after all. His best friend and never anything more. That made Riley almost want to cry. Almost.

He hadn't lost all of his dignity yet, but it was only a matter of time. Because every moment that he spent with the treasure hunter made him fall deeper in love with him. It wasn't enough that Riley was upset over the fact that Abigail had the one person in the world that Riley wanted, oh no, now he had to listen to said person prattle on and on about his one true love.

It literally made him ill.

It wasn't that nauseas feeling that people in romance novels speak about, not that Riley read those stupid things, but it made his heart ache and his chest felt compressed by an unknown pressure. When this happened Riley would tug at the top left corner of his shirt, where his heart was. He'd press down and try to make it stop aching with such intensity, at least while Ben was around. Later at night he could wallow in his sorrows in his lonely flat, but now he had to keep up the façade. Ben had little time for him as it was, he couldn't let his sorrows push the man further away.

That would be the worst thing in the world, if Riley couldn't be near Ben.

Riley had always had attachment issues, even as a child. So it wasn't surprising that he felt upset about not seeing his best friend, but this was beyond ridiculous. Sometimes Riley thought that it might literally kill him because if he went for longer than a day without seeing his best friend, his only friend come to think of it, his heart would hurt. For the first few hours it felt like a pinch and would gradually worsen as the day went on. By the twenty-four hour mark, Riley would be feeling a constant tugging pressure in his chest and his heart was tingling.

Riley often hoped that he was having a heart attack.

Pssh…he wished.

That would be too easy of an explanation and much more convenient. It wouldn't involve him having to confess his feelings to Ben. Something that Riley was sure would only end in disaster and heartbreak. If it was just a heart attack, all he would have to do would be to stop ordering Chinese at 3 a.m. and go for a jog in the mornings.

As Riley sat in his flat pondering his feelings for Ben and ticking off things that he loathed about Abigail; he realized that there were numerous things that Riley hated about her, but above all else he hated her because he simply couldn't compete.

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This shall be continued with Ben's side. Assuming you all like it, of course.

Please review!


	2. 2 of 2

**Disclaimers and warnings from last chapter apply!**

**Thanks to the following people for reviewing the first half:**

Sparkylovesfire

XxMemories4everxX

m.t.dog

oONatsuOo

Laika

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**Competition or Lack Thereof**

**Part 2/2**

**By: EIW**

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It had taken Ben awhile to figure it out.

That in itself was an oddity. He was used to finding the answer to anything very quickly. Most things came to him without much provocation. He didn't have to think too hard to figure something out, but not this time.

This time it had taken a fairly ample amount of time to figure this certain thing out. He'd been thinking and thinking, wondering and wondering about exactly _why_ Riley Poole was so important to him. Ben was used to categorizing information as it came to him. Everyone in his life had a special compartment and label in his brain. That's just the way that his mind worked. Whether it was his parents, whom he loved because they were always there with him; sometimes they were unwillingly there, but still, they were always there when he needed them. Or Abigail with whom he shared a deep connection with about history. She was someone that he could go head-to-head with intellectually. She challenged him. Since he met her, she had become something of another best friend, a kindred spirit in a way.

Which, of course, brought Ben's thought process to his _best friend_. There was something about that label that Ben's mind never agreed with. Unlike the solidly bold labels that his parents and his enemy Ian had, Riley's label as _best friend_ had always been blurry and indistinctive.

It just never really fit.

Ben knew that Riley was important to him, but he wasn't exactly sure where the computer geek fit. He didn't really have a category. Riley seemed to defy all organizational processing attempts and float about in Ben's mind constantly. Sometimes Riley would spring up randomly and make himself known, but usually Ben's mind would just kept him in the fringe of this thoughts. Always there, perhaps as a sort of comfort or something; but once again, Ben wasn't entirely sure.

The only thing that Ben was sure about was that he could never really shake Riley's bright blue eyes. There was just something about the way that they'd shine when Riley knew something that everyone else didn't. Or the way that he'd bounce in place while standing in line the get the latest video game system his eyes darting towards the door every time his eyes caught any sort of movement. Or the way that he'd fidget with his glasses when he got nervous or was unsure about what to do.

Or maybe it was any of the other random things that Ben's mind had dubbed vastly important about Riley for no particular reason. Riley was simply interesting, Ben had deduced at one point. But that also didn't entirely fit because by this time Ben had started to have odd feelings for Riley, very odd fluffy feelings that were intense and new. Well perhaps not new, but definitely far more profound than his feelings for Abigail ever were, which was causing major problems in his relationship with the lovely blond. She was sweet and kind, most of the time. The woman had her moments, but overall she wasn't an annoyance. Ben rather liked her company.

However, recently he'd realized that he infinitely preferred Riley's company than anyone else's. He rather be at Riley's shabby apartment eating Chinese and watching random movies than tagging along with Abigail at some fancy dinner party with a bunch of stuck up rich people talking about nothing.

Oddly enough, he happened to be at said snooty party when he made the biggest discovery in his life; which was saying something considering all the gold and priceless artifacts, or "stuff" as Riley called it, that they'd found. Standing there in his stuffy tuxedo with his bowtie practically strangling him, Ben realized that he loved Riley. Not in that _best friend_ kind of love, on no, in that _love you and __**only**__ you forever_ kind of love. The type of love that he was supposed to have felt for the woman next to him, but he never quite managed to feel for her.

After that little revelation, all of the things that his mind had made notes of concerning Riley overflowed into his brain. Stopping all other thought processes dead in their tracks, his brain focused solely on the most important thing in Ben's life.

Riley.

The category finally had a name and label.

* * *

Abigail looked over at her boyfriend for a response to something that the boring looking man across from them had said, she noticed that Ben had an unusual expression on his face.

"Ben are you alright?" She asked looking concerned.

Realizing that Abigail had said something, Ben looked at her in slight confusion and said, "Yeah, sure, that sounds good."

Abigail just started at him for a moment and before she could say anything else interrupted, "Look Abigail, I'm sorry. I didn't realize…I just figure it out." His hand ruffled his hair while he was thinking of what to say.

"I'm sorry, Abi, but I love him…I've got to go." With that he thrust his champagne glass towards her and rushed towards the doors of the overly crowded gathering, dodging people left and right. Abigail stood there in shock staring at spot where Ben had just disappeared. The man that she'd been talking to stood there with a questioning look on his face. Then turning back to her he asked, "So, does that mean that you're single now?"

Abigail stared at his abruptness for a moment and hurried past him towards the ladies room but managed to mutter, "Single or not, I'm not that desperate."

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Ben made it outside to the fresh air and ran to the parking lot. He began trying to figure out where his car was parked, whirling around in a circle until he spotted it. He jostled his keys from his pocket and managed to get the keys in the ignition, even with his shaking hands. He keeled into the street and began driving towards Riley's apartment, trying to figure out exactly how to word his confession of undying love.

He figured that he probably shouldn't use the words 'undying love.'

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Lounging on his soft blue sofa, his blue sofa that reminded him of Ben's eyes, Riley Poole was wallowing in his sorrows of unrequited love.

Riley thought that this is what deep people must feel like all the time, deep thoughtful people.

Like Ben.

"Dammit!" Riley shouted, tugging at his already messy hair. "Every time that I have a thought it _always_ came back to Ben. This is getting insane. How am I supposed to get anything done in this condition? And now I'm talking to myself. Well that's just great. Now I'm insane and they're going to haul me off to the asylum and I'm going to stay in a white padded room for the rest of my life eating crappy food and it's all _Ben's _fault!"

"What's all my fault?" Asked an all too familiar voice. Riley jumped up and started wide eyed at the man in the tuxedo.

"Um…Why are you in a tuxedo?" Riley said genuinely curious, but mostly because he was trying to distract Ben from his previous question.

"Abigail and I had a thing tonight," Ben said trying to catch his breath after running up all the stairs to get to Riley's door. He could've taken the elevator, but people in the romance movies don't wait for elevators, so why should he?

"Oh…that's….nice," Riley said, trying to sound like he wasn't horrifically upset.

"Not really," Ben said stepping forward. Riley stepped back a bit nervous about what the close proximity was going to do his already floundering self control.

"I left early, I realized something," Ben said brushing his hair out of his eyes with one hand. "I realized that you don't fit into my life," Ben said bluntly.

Riley started at him in disbelief trying not to cry in case Ben wasn't saying what he thought he was saying, "I don't…what?"

"You don't fit into any of the categories. I've tried to place you in every one I can think of, but you just sort of float out…you're just…Riley." Ben said with a distinctly uncharacteristic lack of charisma.

Staring at him, Riley rubbed his eye with the sleeve of his shirt and turned away from Ben. "I'm sorry that I don't fit into your perfect little world, Ben." Riley said sniffing slightly.

"Riley, that's not--" Ben started.

"I never wanted to make your life difficult, Ben. I just…" Riley mumbled trailing off, unsure of what to say.

"Ri, that's not what I meant at all!" Ben exclaimed concerned by Riley's lack of usual cheerfulness.

"Riley, I know that I'm not saying this right. I've been thinking of how to word this, the whole way here, but everything that I come up with sounds corny or cliché. I mean…I just…" Ben finished with his eyebrows creased in thought. Riley stood there silently, for once in his life.

"Riley, I love you," Ben said finally.

Riley stared.

"Like best friend love me, even though I've obviously messed up your brain categories or you know, **love** me, love me?" Riley asked.

"I love you, love you, Riley." Ben said smiling widely.

Riley stared in disbelief for a few moments and then yelled in indignation, "What the hell is wrong with you!?"

Ben opened his mouth in shock, he definitely didn't expect that response.

"You run in here looking all disheveled and tell me that I don't fit into your life and then you go rambling on about your trip over here and then you just confuse me!" Riley shouted at him with exaggerated hand motions.

Ben thought that there was the possibility that Riley hadn't felt the same way, but he never anticipated this explosion of anger.

"Ri--" Ben stammered reaching out to try and soothe him.

"Why didn't you start with the, I love you part?" Riley finished quietly, looking at the ground with his arms hanging limply at his sides.

"Well…uh…because," Ben started rubbing the back of his neck, "I'm not very good at this."

Riley looked up at him after a moment, taking in how adorable Ben looked all embarrassed. Then he walked forward and grabbed Ben's coat and pulled him forward pressing their lips together in a searing kiss.

Ben not quite realizing what was happening, but figuring that it was a good sign, grabbed Riley by the waist and pulled him closer.

After the best few seconds of his life, Riley pulled back a bit and mumbled, "I love you too, by the way," before smashing their lips together once more.

Ben kicked the door closed behind him and pushed Riley towards the couch with a wicked grin.

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I hoped that you liked the conclusion to the not-so-epic tale of slashy love!

Please review! They're greatly appreciated!


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